Department of Energy Announces $6 Million for Research Toward a More Robust and Reliable Electric Grid

Two Department of Energy (DOE) offices have funded $6 million in research projects for an inaugural partnership to better prepare the nation for multiple disruptive power events and enable rapid response in a crisis for U.S. grid operators.

Molecular simulations, supercomputing lead to energy-saving biomaterials breakthrough

A team led by scientists at ORNL identified and demonstrated a method to process a plant-based material called nanocellulose that reduced energy needs by a whopping 21%, using simulations on the lab’s supercomputers and follow-on analysis.

Researchers demystify polymer binders to pave way for better sulfide solid-state electrolyte membranes

Using a polymer to make a strong yet springy thin film, scientists led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are speeding the arrival of next-generation solid-state batteries. This effort advances the development of electric vehicle power enabled by flexible, durable sheets of solid-state electrolytes.

Start-up Whisper Aero uses the ORNL Summit supercomputer to test concepts for an ultraquiet electric airplane

Whisper Aero, a start-up in Crossville, Tennessee, is revolutionizing aviation with its ultra-quiet electric ducted fan technology. Using the Summit supercomputer, the company is designing the Whisper Jet, a nine-passenger electric plane featuring 20 to 30 small, silent EDFs to drastically reduce noise and emissions compared to traditional engines. Summit’s advanced simulations have accelerated their design process by over 20%, enabling rapid development and optimization of their aircraft. The technology is also being adapted for quieter commercial products like leaf blowers.

First-generation graduate Brittany Rodriguez advances manufacturing science at ORNL

Raised in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley by hardworking parents who were not given the opportunity to obtain any type of higher degree, Brittany Rodriguez never imagined she would pursue a science career at a Department of Energy national laboratory.

ARPA-E IGNIITE award launches new initiatives of ORNL researchers Yang and Westover

Guang Yang and Andrew Westover of Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been selected to join the first cohort of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E, Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy 2024, or IGNIITE 2024, program.

NYU Tandon researchers selected for National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Pilot to enhance AI vision models

An NYU Tandon School of Engineering project is one of the first 35 initiatives selected for the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Department of Energy, a result of President Biden’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI.

Tracking Down Toxic Metals From Tobacco Smoke

Homes and public places where people smoke may have high levels of harmful trace metals from cigarettes, even after smoking stops, Berkeley Lab researchers have found. These metals include cadmium, arsenic, and chromium, and the levels may be above safety limits set by California.

Scientists are shaking up lithium extraction with a different kind of chemistry

Scientists at the Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub, led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory, have developed a new process, mechanochemical extraction of lithium at low temperatures, or MELLT, to increase and diversify the supply of lithium in the United States.

How Scientists Are Accelerating Chemistry Discoveries With Automation

Researchers have developed an automated workflow that could accelerate the discovery of new pharmaceutical drugs and other useful products. The new approach could enable real-time reaction analysis and identify new chemical-reaction products much faster than current laboratory methods.

ORNL’s Sholl elected to National Academy of Engineering

David Sholl, director of the Transformational Decarbonization Initiative at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions in addressing large-scale chemical separation challenges, including carbon dioxide capture, using quantitative materials modeling.

Artificially intelligent software provides a detailed look at jets of plasma used to treat cancer

Artificially intelligent software has been developed to enhance medical treatments that use jets of electrified gas known as plasma. Developed by researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and the George Washington University, the computer code predicts the chemicals emitted by cold atmospheric plasma devices, which can be used to treat cancer and sterilize surfaces.

Microdroplets, macro results: Beckman researchers pursue Energy Earthshots

Researchers at the Beckman Institute will conduct electrochemical reactions in microdroplets to produce clean hydrogen, sequester carbon dioxide, and store renewable energies like wind and solar inexpensively and sustainably. Their project, called DROPLETS, received $4.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science through its Energy Earthshots Initiative.

Accelerating Sustainable Semiconductors With ‘Multielement Ink’

Scientists have demonstrated “multielement ink” – the first “high-entropy” semiconductor that can be processed at low-temperature or room temperature. The new material could enable cost-effective and energy-efficient semiconductor manufacturing.

How Scientists Are Accelerating Next-Gen Microelectronics

In a new Q&A, microelectronics expert and CHiPPS Director Ricardo Ruiz shares his perspective on keeping pace with Moore’s Law in the decades to come through a revolutionary technique called extreme ultraviolet lithography.

Submit proposal for research funding opportunity at EMSL, a Department of Energy scientific facility

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) is seeking biological and environmental science project proposals for the Fiscal Year 2024 Exploratory Research Call through 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 6.

Estudio registra casi dos millones de galaxias, cuásares y estrellas en su publicación preliminar

Casi dos millones de objetos, que incluyen galaxias distantes, cuásares y estrellas, se encuentran en la publicación preliminar de datos del Instrumento Espectroscópico de Energía Oscura (DESI), del Laboratorio Nacional Lawrence Berkeley, en el Observatorio Nacional de Kitt Peak, un Programa de NOIRLab de NSF. Estos datos ayudarán a los investigadores a estudiar la historia de la expansión del Universo con un detalle sin precedentes y explorar otras áreas de la investigación astrofísica de frontera. DESI es financiado por el Departamento de Energía de los Estados Unidos y administrado por el Laboratorio Berkeley.

Nearly Two Million Galaxies, Quasars, and Stars Contained in DESI Early Data Release

Nearly two million objects, including distant galaxies, quasars, and stars, comprise the early data release from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. These data will help researchers study the expansion history of the Universe in unprecedented detail and explore other frontier areas of astrophysical research. DESI is funded by the US Department of Energy and managed by Berkeley Lab.

UAH researchers win awards totaling $750K to advance steps toward “holy grail” fusion clean energy project

Mechanical and aerospace engineering faculty at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) have won a pair of research awards totaling $750,000 to collaborate with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) on research to advance knowledge toward one of the most sought-after goals of plasma physics, plasma fusion energy. This project marks the first experimental collaboration between the university and the LANL, helping to bring fusion and high energy density (HED) plasma research to UAH, a part of The University of Alabama System.

Electric Vehicle Batteries Could Get Big Boost With New Polymer Coating

Scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed a polymer coating that could enable longer lasting, more powerful lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The advance opens up a new approach to developing EV batteries that are more affordable and yet easy to manufacture.

On the Road to Better Solid-State Batteries

A team from Berkeley Lab and Florida State University has designed a new blueprint for solid-state batteries that are less dependent on specific chemical elements. Their work could advance efficient, affordable solid-state batteries for electric cars.

PPPL awarded more than $12 million to speed development of a fusion pilot plant

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded PPPL funding of more than $12 million to work with laboratories around the world to accelerate the development of a pilot plant powered by the carbon-free fusion energy that drives the sun and stars and can counter climate change.

Scientists Grow Lead-Free Solar Material With a Built-In Switch

A lead-free solar material developed by Berkeley Lab scientists offers a simpler and more sustainable approach to solar cell manufacturing. The advance could also benefit halide perovskites, a promising solar technology that requires much less energy to manufacture than silicon.

Johnathon Huff Appointed Jefferson Lab Chief Operating Officer

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has appointed Johnathon Huff as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). The COO is responsible for the business functions of Jefferson Lab, including business and finance, health and safety, human resources, procurement, facilities management, communications, legal and performance assurance. Huff will take on the responsibilities of this role in mid-June.

Science snapshots from Berkeley Lab

New Berkeley Lab breakthroughs: engineering chemical-producing microbes; watching enzyme reactions in real time; capturing the first image of ‘electron ice’; revealing how skyrmions really move

How to catch a perfect wave: Scientists take a closer look inside the perfect fluid

Scientists have reported new clues to solving a cosmic conundrum: How the quark-gluon plasma – nature’s perfect fluid – evolved into the building blocks of matter during the birth of the early universe.

LED Material Shines Under Strain

A team led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley has demonstrated an approach for achieving LEDs with near 100% light-emission efficiency at all brightness levels.

PPPL Physicist Erik Gilson joins Secretary of Energy in panel discussion on DOE internships

PPPL physicist Erik Gilson, a long-time Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship mentor, joins U.S. Secretary of Energy Jannifer Grandholm and other mentors and former interns on a panel discussion about the U.S. Department of Energy’s internship programs

Main Attraction: Scientists Create World’s Thinnest Magnet

Scientists at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have created an ultrathin magnet that operates at room temperature. The ultrathin magnet could lead to new applications in computing and electronics – such as spintronic memory devices – and new tools for the study of quantum physics.

This crystal impurity is sheer perfection

Scientists at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have developed a nanoparticle composite that grows into 3D crystals. The new 3D-grown material could speed up production and eliminate errors in the mass manufacturing of nanoscale photonics for smart buildings or actuators for robotics.

Key to Carbon-Free Cars? Look to the Stars

In a decade-long quest, scientists at Berkeley Lab, the University of Hawaii, and Florida International University uncover new clues to the origins of the universe – and land new chemistry for cleaner combustion engines

Are Heavy Metals Toxic? Scientists Find Surprising New Clues in Yeast

Scientists at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have compiled the most complete library yet of lanthanide heavy metals and their potential toxicity – by exposing baker’s yeast to lanthanides. Their findings could help researchers uncover hidden pathways between lanthanide metals and disease.

Wayne State physics professor awarded DOE Early Career Research Program grant

Chun Shen, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and astronomy in Wayne State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was awarded a five-year, $750,000 award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program for his project, “Quantitative Characterization of Emerging Quark-Gluon Plasma Properties with Dynamical Fluctuations and Small Systems.”

DOE Benchmark Study Seeks Input on Future of International Scientific Research at 239th ECS Meeting

A special livestream event at the 239th ECS Meeting with IMCS18 features representatives of a subcommittee of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Science Advisory Committee (BESAC) reporting on research and requesting input on the future of international scientific research. “Benchmarking Innovation: The Future of International Scientific Research” takes place on June 1, from 1400-1500h EDT, after which the content will be available through June 26, 2021.

ORNL’s superb materials expertise, data and AI tools propel progress

At the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, scientists use artificial intelligence, or AI, to accelerate the discovery and development of materials for energy and information technologies.

This hydrogen fuel machine could be the ultimate guide to self improvement

Scientists at Berkeley have uncovered an extraordinary self-improving property that transforms an ordinary semiconductor into a highly efficient and stable artificial photosynthesis device

April Snapshots

Science Snapshots from Berkeley Lab: X-rays accelerate battery R&D; infrared microscopy goes off grid; substrates support 2D tech

Science Snapshots From Berkeley Lab – Week of March 29, 2021

India’s Ambitious Clean Energy Goals, a Secret Pathway to Harnessing the Sun for Clean Energy, and a Supersmart Gas Sensor for Asthmatics

Science Snapshots: COVID-19, power outages, Alzheimer’s disease, and optical antennas

March Science Snapshots from Berkeley Lab